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Friday, March 20, 2015

U.S. Regulators Give Amazon Go-Ahead for Drone Tests

As reported by Reuters: Amazon.com Inc
has won approval from U.S. federal regulators to test a delivery drone
outdoors, as the e-commerce company pursues its goal of sending packages
to customers by air, even as it faces public concern about safety and
privacy.The Federal Aviation
Administration said on Thursday it issued an experimental airworthiness
certificate to an Amazon business unit and its prototype drone,
allowing test flights over private, rural land in Washington state.

The FAA also granted Amazon an exemption from other flight restrictions so the experimental drone can conduct those flights.

The
approval is a win for Seattle-based Amazon, the largest e-commerce
company in the United States, and advances plans by the company and
others to deliver packages using small, self-piloted aircraft.

There
are limitations, however. The experimental certificate applies to a
particular drone and Amazon must obtain a new certification if it
modifies the aircraft or flies a different version, making it difficult
to adapt the model quickly in the field. Amazon's petition for
permission indicated it was testing several iterations of a drone at an
indoor facility in Seattle.

Amazon must keep flights below 400 feet (120 meters) and keep the drone in sight, according to the FAA.

The company had asked for permission to fly at altitudes up to 500 feet (150 meters.)

The
drone operators must have private pilot licenses and current medical
certification. Amazon must supply monthly data to the regulators.

The
company did not respond to requests for comment. Amazon public policy
chief Paul Misener is set to testify at a congressional hearing on
drones next Tuesday.

As part of
Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos' plan to deliver packages under a
program dubbed "Prime Air," the company is developing drones that fly at
speeds of 50 miles per hour (80 kph), operate autonomously and sense
and avoid objects. Amazon also is working with NASA on an air-traffic
management system for drones.

Amazon
sought permission from the FAA to test drones in outdoor areas near
Seattle, where one of its research and development labs is developing
the technology. The company has conducted test flights outside the
United States, in countries with looser restrictions.

In
February, the FAA proposed long-awaited rules to try to set U.S.
guidelines for drones, addressing growing interest from both individual
and corporations in using unmanned aerial vehicles. The draft rules
still must undergo public comment and revision before becoming final,
which is expected to take at least a year.

The service will be available in select zip codes
to Amazon Prime subscribers, who pay $99 a year for unlimited free
two-day delivery on more than 20 million items. The one-hour service,
available through the Prime Now mobile app, costs $7.99, while two-hour
delivery will be free.

Amazon Prime's success has blown away the company's projections and
"petrified" local and national retailers, said Howard Davidowitz,
chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a national retail consulting
and investment banking firm headquartered in New York City.

"If you're a retailer and you're not scared of Amazon ... you should
be," he said. "They are the change agent. They are leading the change in
retail."

Davidowitz expects the Prime Now program to catch on rapidly in Baltimore the way it has in New York.

The service is made possible by the state-of-the-art fulfillment technology in Amazon's new 1 million-square-foot distribution center
in Southeast Baltimore, at the site of the former General Motors plant
on Broening Highway and a short drive from much of the city.

That facility will open in the next couple of weeks, said Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Cheeseman.

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About Me

I have more than 25 years of experience in development, design, and mobile communications products and technology. I also enjoy skiing, hiking, scuba, tennis, reading, traveling, foreign languages, and painting. I'm an active member of the National Ski Patrol (NSP) and volunteer my time at either Loveland Ski resort, or Ski Cooper.